The Next Inflationary Surge
There is good reason to believe that temporary increases in inflation, driven by large swings in relative prices, will become more common. In this new era, how policymakers think about inflation must apply the lessons of past experience to current price conditions and, on that basis, attempt to anticipate what the future may hold.
LONDON – After reaching its highest level in decades in mid-2022, inflation in the United States and the eurozone fell sharply over the second half of last year. But, in December, the headline consumer price index (CPI) in the US and the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) in the eurozone rose slightly. Was it an aftershock or a foreshock?